Unit construction for tractors



G. W. DUNHAM. UNIT CONSTRUCTION FOR TRACTORS. APPLlCATION FILED MAR.8,1916. 1,417,720. Patented Muy30,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

an umMloz G. W. DUNHAM. UNIT CONSTRUCTION FOR TRACTORS.

APPLICATION F ILED MAR 8, 1916.

Patented May 30, 1922.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

w M i attoweq 5 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. DUNHAM, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GRAHAM BROTHERS, OF EVANSVIL-LE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

UNIT CONSTRUCTION FOR TRACTORS.

Application filed March 8, 1916.

To all whom it may concern."

e it known that I, GEORGE W. DUNHAM, a citizen of the United States of America. residing at Detroit, in the and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Unit Constructions for Tractors, of which the following is a Among the objects of the invention are to provide a construction in which the engine, clutch, transmission, jaclrshaft, and other working parts are all supported in the same housing; to so construct and arrange the housing that upon removal of its upper half or top portion all the working parts will be readily accessible for repair or renewal; to

drive can also be obtained to the auxiliary power or belt wheel, the latter and a portion of the main transmission being preferably removable with the upper half of the housing; to provide a construction in which the amount of time necessary to remove the housing and get out any of the parts is reduced to a minimum, the construction bein preferably such that the removal of a few olts is all that is necessary to permit the upper half of the housing and a part of the removed; to provide a construction in which a three point suspension can be employed; and in general to provide a new and improved unit construction for tractors or other heavy vehicles.

plan View Specification of Letters Patent.

county of lVayne" In d and B Patented May 30, 1922.

Serial No. 82,995.

renewal is invention he engine, clutch, transmission and of great importance. The present convenient position.

etail A designates the tractor frame and C the drive wheels supporting the rear end thereof. In the particular construction shown, the wheels B and C ried on the ends of the axle D which is supported in hearings in the ends B and C of the casing. The axle D is ke ed or pinned to the wheel B but the wheel is free to revolveon the axle thus providing the difle'rential action necessary in turning the corner.

Power from the engine is transmitted to the drive wheels B and C through a variable speed gearing, contained within the unit housing F, and a jack-shaft G also contained within th housing and is positioned in the rear of the axle D, the purpose of this construc tion being to get the weight back sufficiently, while this location of the shaft D also permits the convenient use of a straight axle to support the wheels.

In addition to the transmission and jackshaft the ousing F also contains the clutch I which extending upward through the housing. The usual cap plate J is removably secured over the hand hole J through which access can be obtained to the clutch parts without removing the upper half of the casing.

upon operation of the gear shifting lever M in the usual manner and has keyed thereto gears L and L adapted to mesh with the gears N and N carried by the shaft N. Thus upon longitudinal adjustment of the shaft L toward the rear the drive will be through the gears contemplates a unitary housing L and N to the shaft N while upon forward adjustment of the shaft L the drive will be through the gears 2 and l In Figure '2 the gears are shown in neutral position.

At its'rear end the shaft L is splined to a shaft 0 which hasa bev'eled gear 0 engaging a gear 0 so as to drive the auxiliary power or belt wheel 0 It will be noticed that when the power is transmitted to the belt wheel 0' it will be by direct drive from the engine shaft, but that the transmission to the jack-shaft is through the parallel shaft N which at its rear endhas a pinionmeshing with a large beveled gear P on the jack-shaft G. i

At its forward supported so suspension, while the ends of the jack-shaft are held in alignment bytorque arms Q and Q which are rigidly secured to the axle casing. The horizontal dividing line between the sections F and F of the housing is preferably located substantiall in the plane of the axes of the jack-shaft place any of the interior mechanisms it is only necessary to remove the bolts S and slide back the rear part of the shaft L so as to permit its disengagement'at point U. The entire upper half of the housing can then be removed-and inasmuch as the shafts L and are supported in hearings in the upper section F these parts will be removed with the upper section. The operator then has all parts of the various shafts, transmission and clutch parts exposed in position to be gotten at easily. Therefore a repair or renewal can be made in a very short time compared to that necessary to make a corresponding repair or renewal in tractors as usually constructed.

At the rear end the unit construction is provided with a suitable starting crank which can be connected to turn the engine shaft through the shafts O and L as the latter are in alignment with the engine shaft K. The invention, however, is not limited to the cluding parallel said parts end the unit housing F is I v as to give the usual 3-point shaft and a transmission there-between 1ncluding parallel gear shafts, of a housing for section, each of which carries gear shafts,

and axle ,D. This permits ready access to these shafts.

details of construction exceptas set forth in the appended claims.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

l. The combination of an enginefa jack; shaft and a transmission there'between inand transmission, one part of said housing being removable and one of said shafts being removable therewith.

I 2'. The combination with an en ine, a jackshaft and a transmission thereetween including parallel gear shafts, of a housing for comprising-an upper and lower section, each of which carries one of said e r shafts.

' 3; The combination with an engine, a jacksaid parts comprising an upper and lower one'of said the meeting edges of said sections lying in the plane of said jack-shaft. r 4. The combination of an engine, a jackshaft, and transmission there-between includin parallel gear shafts and an auxiliary drive sTiaft splined to one of said gear shafts, and a two part housing supporting said shaft, one of said gear'shafts and said auxiliary shaft being removable with one part of said housing. I

5. The combination of an engine and jack shaft and a transmission there-between including parallel gear shafts, a two-part housing supporting said engine, jack-shaft and transmission and a supporting axle shaft extending through said housing and located forward of said jack-shaft.

6. The combination with an engine, a transverse jack-shaft and a transmission therebetween, of a supporting shaft and a unit housing construction for'said engine, transmission and shafts, said housing being dividable in substantially the plane of the axes of said shafts and having the removable part carrying part of said transmission.

7 .T he combination with an engine and a jack shaft, of a transmission therebetween, a housing supporting said engine, jack-shaft and transmission, and a supporting axle shaft extending through said housing forward of said jack-shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. DU NHAM.

Witnesses:

J. F. LooP, C. E. GREGORY.

gear shafts, and a two parthousing supporting said engine, jack-shaft 

